DRUG addiction has ruined countless lives but Yusmin Sahrin’s(pix) story is one of determination, a lot of help and eventual recovery.
“It was like being in hell,” Yusmin told theSun recently as he recounted his years of using ganja and heroin, sleeping under bridges and praying for a quick end to his sufferings.
He was only 17 when he took that proverbial wrong turn in life. “I stopped going to school and ran away from home.”
With barely RM100 in his pocket for bus fare and food, he left his home in Raub, Pahang and headed for Kuala Lumpur, eager for a new life.
“I planned to learn a trade and earn enough money to help my family,” said Yusmin, who is the third of 10 children.
He managed to land a job at a factory, earning RM400 a month. To supplement his income, he also worked odd jobs.
Not before long, he had his first trip of ganja. “I guess it was curiosity that got the better of me.” One joint led to another and soon he progressed to heroin.
He recounted paying RM5 for a shot of the drug. In time, he was spending all the money he earned to feed his drug habit.
“I remember wandering the streets in Chow Kit looking for a heroin fix.”
Eventually, the law caught up with him, and he tested positive for substance abuse. He was 20 then.
After he was released from
lock-up, Yusmin met a friend who told him about Pengasih Malaysia, a drug rehabilitation centre that was run by former addicts.
“That turned my life around. I spoke to my parents and they agreed to pay RM350 a month
for me to join the Pengasih programme.”
He said it was a major financial strain and sacrifice on the part of his parents, who did not earn much as labourers.
“Nonetheless, everyone encouraged me to go for rehabilitation to beat my addiction. I was told that drug addiction was an illness.”
The first two weeks were the toughest. Yusmin said he had to muster all his strength to get through it. “The withdrawal symptoms, such as aches and feverish sensations were the worst. I just wanted to die.”
He was told to take cold showers every time the urge came. “It was that or back on the streets,” he said.
But with support from his peers and family, he eventually recovered well enough to get a job as a cleaner at an LRT station.
However, temptation lurked around the corner. He was assigned to work at the Masjid Jamek LRT station, a hotbed for drug addiction and where he used to get his fix.
“I could have returned to my old habit but thankfully, I had the support of Pengasih.”
Yusmin has been clean for 24 years. Now at 45, he is a successful businessman, running his own printing enterprise.
“I saved enough money to pay for business administration courses, and invested RM50,000 to start this business.”
He is also happily married with three children. Now, Yusmin extends a helping hand to others.
“My former employers knew what I did but they still gave me a chance.” Today, his employees are themselves rehabilitated drug users.
